Best Of

2019 NFL Mock Draft 4.0

What a conference championship weekend! If we completely ignore a certain controversial call, we saw some of the best football has to offer.

While the Rams and Pats get ready to do battle exactly 17 years to the day after meeting in Super Bowl XXXVI, the other 30 teams start their quest for the 2020 Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl LIV.

In Mock Draft 4.0, we start to tile together a picture of what each team is facing heading into an offseason where the league’s top wide receiver and young cornerback have been rumored to be available via trade. The rumor mill is overflowing.

The pure talent across the defensive line remains the signature of the 2019 NFL Draft class.

With the NFL Combine a little over a month away, the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock.

Free Agency Terms

Note: In all the following free agency subsections, we listed only the most relevant free agents in each category. These lists are incomplete. We focused on players who we felt had roles and were more then bench depth. If we missed someone, please let us know in the comments.

UFAs: Unrestricted Free Agents are players with expired contracts that have completed four or more accrued seasons of service. They are free to sign with any franchise.

RFAs: Restricted Free Agents are those who have three or less accrued seasons (six or more regular season games with a team) of service, who have received a “qualifying” offer (a salary level predetermined by the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players, known as a “tender”) from his current club.

They can negotiate with any club through a certain date. If the restricted free agent accepts an offer sheet from a new club, his old club has “right of first refusal,” a five-day period in which it may match the offer and retain him, or choose not to match the offer, in which case it may receive one or more draft picks for the upcoming draft from the player’s new club.

If an offer sheet is not executed, the player’s rights revert to his old club the day after negotiations must end.

ERFA: Exclusive-Rights Free Agents are players with two or fewer seasons of service time and whose contracts have expired. If their team tenders a qualifying offer (a one-year contract usually at league-minimum salary) the player has no negotiating rights with other teams, and must either sign the tender with the team or sit out the season.

$2019 Cap Hit = A player’s cap hit is not necessarily how much he’s paid in a given year, but how much he’ll count against a team’s salary cap during that season.

($2019 Dead Cap) = Guaranteed money left on a player’s contract at the time he is let go. That money will count against a team’s cap in 2019.

Note: We listed pre-6/1 release candidates because free agency and the draft is prior to June. Note that we only listed players who are relevant and/or players who would provide a reasonable amount of cap relief. We also list players who announced their retirements as their contracts are irrelevant in the context of 2019’s salary cap.

It should be no surprise to Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur that they find themselves on the hot seat after a dismal 2018. Further amplifying the Giants struggles, the Eagles and Cowboys string of success has left a fan base rightfully angry.

After watching Sam Darnold spark the great-but-short Saquon-Darnold debate in the New York media, Gettleman should be ready to move on from the Eli era in the Big Apple. With Saquon in hand on a relatively cheap contract for at least the next three years, Gettleman should be taking notes on how Dallas has had success with Dak and Zeke.

The “Nick Foles to the New York” narrative is a weak one. Any fan of the NFC East will attest to Foles’ post-game cries of love for Philly each and every week. St. Nick has gained immortal status in Philadelphia after delivering the Eagles fan base a Lombardi trophy. He’s not headed to Jersey.

The Top Three:

Pat Shurmur has cultivated the talents of Donovan McNabb (QB Coach), Nick Foles (OC) and worked wonders with Case Keenum in Minnesota two seasons ago. Take that for what you will. But the city of New York can not accept losing another year of Odell and Saquon’s prime with Joe Flacco or Tyrod Taylor at the helm.

Picking between Haskins and Murray will either be the debate of the offseason or the yawn of the year.

Murray’s height will always be an issue and with the Giant’s O-Line underwhelming and overpaid, a young quarterback who needs time in the pocket to continue to work on his accuracy will be set up for failure.

A first-year starter, Haskins (6-3, 220lbs) growth over the college football season has been astounding. Shurmur is an Andy Reid disciple, running a west coast style offense, and Haskins demonstrated the rapid processing skills, timely accuracy, and strong zip to fit right in. He can also run the RPO Shurmur watched Eli devoured on in 2018, but with one major caveat: he tends to pass more than run.

The only thing sexier in the NFL then a young offensive minded head coach with no experience? Opening up a rookie contract franchise quarterback window. The Giants narrowly beat out the Bengals and Redskins in a bidding war, and convince Steve Keim to pull the trigger.

And they do so in order to acquire a kid who was born and spent the majority of his childhood in their own backyard of Highland Park, New Jersey.

The Cardinals will find out first hand if the ramifications of their trade down will haunt them. By passing on Nick Bosa they have essentially sacrificed their offensive tackles for the next decade. Never mind that NFC West foes LA and Seattle house Aaron Donald and Frank Clark respectively.

Pending the healthy return of Jimmy G, the 49ers are entering what should be one of their better offseasons in recent memory. When Vegas enlists you as the heavy favorite to land Antonio Brown it should be sunshine.

Let’s get through the cliches now: take the best player on the board, you can never have too many good [insert position here], etc. The mock draft community will cry foul if the 49ers pass on Alabama DT Quinnen Williams, but the history paints a clear and direct picture.

Top Three Options:

Arik Armstead has evolved into an elite run defender, but the lack of sustainable pass rush outside of DeForest Buckner has led to multiple late-game collapses in the Kyle Shanahan era. With Solomon Thomas expected to make a jump, paring the best player in the draft at their highest position makes this a no brainer for John Lynch.

The 49ers record isn’t indicative of their personnel. They have young franchise cornerstones at QB, TE, OT, DT, and LB (Fred Warner>Reuben Foster). After the Baalke era trade downs and ACL tear stashes, the 49er Faithful will welcome Nick Bosa into Levi’s Field happily.

Cincinnati was allowed to operate within the shadows of the Ohio jungles throughout the Marvin Lewis era. Much of the blame fell on Lewis for the Bengals playoff win-free sixteen-year tenure. But owner/GM Mike Brown has been anything but aggressive in his 27 years at the helm of the franchise.

The Bengals front office showed signs of life last season swapping first rounders to acquire Cordy Glenn from the Bills. But history reminds us this is a franchise that has traded up in the draft only four times in their 50+ year history.

So it begs the question: in what world does Mike Brown, the poster child for mediocrity, get triggered into trading up into the top three?

Top Three Options:

The rationale behind Mike Brown casting off the chains of average and finally entering the modern NFL entirely is the darling status their in-state rival suddenly achieved after 19 years of sadness.

Behind Baker Mayfield, the Browns revived a state reeling from Lebron’s departure. Hope and pride in primetime football outside of the Ohio State Program was an Ohio right for the first time in decades. With the Browns now the sleeper darlings of the league, the Bengals in-state pressure gauge will be dusted off for the first time since the expansion Browns returned in 1999.

The Bengals will fight their hardest to move up to the top spot and snag in-state record breaker Dwayne Haskins. Haskins helped stirred the pot by including the Bengals in his Instagram baiting, as is the norm in 2019. The Bengals just are not likely to outbid the other contenders for the first overall pick.

Jeff Driskel showed he could be a serviceable NFL player but the Bengals need to aim higher at the quarterback position. Enter Baker Mayfield’s heir from Oklahoma and fellow Heisman trophy winner Kyler Murray. His combine and pro day needs to wow and his commitment will be in question till we have the baseball answer.

Nevertheless, in what is shaping up to be a QB weak draft, Murray offers the intrigue and a share of the spotlight. Picking Murray will catapult the Bengals into the discussion and the opportunity of that level of relevance could be too much to pass up.

The Raiders are in a rare real-life Madden franchise mode reset. Trade everyone, clear cap space, limited contracts, acquire first round picks. Maybe relocate and build a stadium? The house is clean in advance of their move to Las Vegas.

Holding onto the fourth overall pick is contingent on the Derek Carr decision and Jon Gruden’s vision for the position. The former QB camp king has stuck to veteran quarterbacks across his head coaching career. In his first stint with Oakland (98-01) there was Jeff George followed by Gruden’s molding of Rich Gannon into a Super Bowl caliber MVP. In Tampa (02-08) there was Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, a brief venture into Chris Simms, and ultimately the corpse of Jeff Garcia.

Gruden’s first draft yielded three defensive linemen who’s play improved as the season progressed. DE Arden Key, DT P.J. Hall, and draft day steal DT Maurice Hurst are young, cheap, and are poised to carry larger loads in 2019.

If this truly is a rebuild, the Raiders’ primary goal should be to improve on the 13 sacks- yes 13 total team sacks- their pass rush dug up across the entire 2018 season. That is a half a sack more than Mack had on his own in 2018.

Top Three Options:

Coming back for his senior year was a clutch move by Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen. Allen declined to declare for the 2018 draft to once again compete against premier SEC competition and had a senior year to remember:

What is most promising about Allen’s game is his ability to strip the ball. He had five forced fumbles this year to go along with 14 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. He’s the beast that will allow Raiders fans to move on from the Mack era.

Josh Allen isn’t a guy someone might label as “elite” in his get off but he is a great combination of athleticism and technician. pic.twitter.com/j06WXuul5r

The Bucs have key roster decisions facing them prior to the draft. LT Donovan Smith and LB Kwon Alexander are due hefty extensions. With limited cap space, the Bucs may have to depart with their older core in DT Gerald McCoy, WR Desean Jackson, and LB Lavonte David to name a few.

The Bucs have stayed aggressive under GM Jason Licht in both the draft and free agency. Benefitting once again from the NFLs coaching network, Licht was able to coax Bruce Arians out of the booth. Todd Bowles hiring as defensive coordinator is a valuable bonus for Licht and Bucs Nation. Arians, Bowles, and Licht were last co-workers in 2013 on the desert with Licht serving as Arizona’s Director of Pro Personnel.

Top Three Options:

In a dream scenario for the Bucs, they find themselves deciding between the top two players at what could be their two weakest positions come draft night: LSU CB Greedy Williams and Bama DT Quinnen Williams.

Todd Bowles cultivated DT Leonard Williams (2015-6th Overall) during his tenure in New York. Arians rode the strength of his defense behind DT Calais Campbell to the 2016 NFC championship game. As much as we want to slot Greedy Williams into fellow LSU alum Patrick Peterson’s CB1 role, the Bucs kick off the Arians draft era with an instant Gerald McCoy replacement and the nastiest defensive lineman in the draft.

Set at quarterback for the foreseeable future, both the 49ers (#2nd overall) and the Jets (#3rd overall) are bound to at least entertain offers. At the very least they can place heat on Arizona general manager Steve Keim through the media.

Speaking of heat, Steve Keim is already on the hottest of seats despite having found his very own Sean McVay action figure in rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Ensuring the success of the franchise quarterback would start at protection. But over the years, we’ve witnessed quarterbacks pummeled in the desert behind Keim’s offensive lines. The draft hasn’t brought the Cardinals much luck on the offensive line either. Of the seven linemen across the 42 draft picks Keim’s made in his tenure as GM, only one (Humphries) is a starter in the NFL. Though he did bring left tackle Jared Veldheer and guard Mike Iupati through free agency, Veldheer seemed dead on arrival and Iupati’s tenure has been uneven and inconsistent with injuries taking blame.

Top Three Options:

Keim was the Director of Player Personnel when the Cardinals drafted Calais Campbell and Patrick Peterson. Patrick Peterson is entering is age 29 season despite seemingly being around forever.

For over a year we have heard that Ed Oliver is the most disruptive force in this year’s draft, often likened to Aaron Donald. The hype may have weakened but Ed Oliver is still a top-three talent in this draft.

The Jags face major issues as the AFC Championship near miss in 2017 grows distant in the rearview mirror. One of the questions surrounding teams without a track record of sustainable success is whether the roster and personnel are built for the long haul with respect to cap management and roster balance.

Everything starts at quarterback. The rise, fall, then rise again, then ultimate cratering of the Bortles-train was not a fond memory for most. A competent Blake Bortles had shown multiple times he can win behind that defense. The Nick Foles-John DeFilippo connection would be a boost to the locker room but the financials are a nightmare given the Jaguars cap situation.

The Jags were clearly constructed to win while Bortles was on his rookie contract. His extension would have been the undoing for most front offices but owner Shad Khan thought it wise to keep the band together for one last push. The QB franchise tag is always a high cap hit but the ability to move year to year on a player that doesn’t instill confidence is advantageous in the context of an inconsistent player like Bortles. The Jags took a gamble and year one was not ideal.

Linebacker Myles Jack and pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue enter the final season of their rookie contracts in 2019. Shortly after the 2019 season, the Jags will have to decide whether they want to exercise Jalen Ramsey’s fifth-year option (~$12-16 million) and discuss long-term extensions. Starting tackle Cam Robinson and wide receiver DeDe Westbrook will also be unrestricted free agents following the 2019 season.

Top Three Options:

With the Giants slightly outbidding them for the first overall pick, the Jags will look to either trade back into the end of the first to snag a QB with a fifth-year option or wait till Day 2. Cutting Bortles this offseason saves a meager $4-5 million; waiting till 2020 will save them $18 million against the 2020 cap as they look to extend Ramsey, Ngakoue, and others. This could be a Bortles – Josh Mccown led quarterback room in 2019.

There are many ways this pick will be mocked leading into the combine. EDGE/pass rush, especially with Ngakoue up for an extension, will be what the Jags fans should pound the table for especially given the expectation of Malik Jackson’s release. The 29th overall pick in this season’s draft, defensive tackle Taven Bryan, did see a slight uptick in usage as the season trudged on, and still has great talent surrounding him. Ideally, he takes the next step as he garners more playing time.

Per Football Outsiders, the Jags offensive line DVOA ratings for run blocking (21st overall) and pass blocking (27th) suggest this to be their greatest need outside of quarterback. The Jaguars offensive line came into 2018 expected to dominate. The Jags need Andrew Norwell to pull an Andy Levitre in Atlanta circa 2016 and turn it around after a disappointing debut season on a fat contract. Ereck Flowers showed actual improvement at times, seen most readily in the Jags late season domination of the playoff-bound Colts.

It’s either the end of the line or a story of redemption for Doug Caldwell, Doug Marrone, and Blake Bortles. If it’s the former, consider all of them gone by free agency 2020 while the Jags will be armed with a high pick in a potentially quality QB-centric 2020 NFL draft. It should be business as usual if they don’t pursue a young quarterback. Shad Khan’s front offices have shown they understand the trenches is where great teams win. They solidify their line at left tackle for the foreseeable future by taking the best offensive lineman in the draft. Duval!

Greg Little in a nutshell. Solid athlete/footwork, needs to gain strength, and show a meaner streak through the whistle. Scouts will love his natural traits and upside though. pic.twitter.com/G8MlAKtCNx

As the Lions continue to tread the river Styx with captain Matt Stafford at the helm, they enter another offseason with the narrative drenched in disappointment. At first glance, the offensive line was abysmal in 2018, highlighted by week nine’s ten sack barrage at the hands of an Anthony Barr-less Vikings defense. What’s lost in the numbers is that the Lions went down arguably their best lineman during that game when T.J. Lang was lost for the season to a neck injury. The Lions line struggles increased immensely once Kenny Wiggins took over permanently.

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The year after they finally found a running back (rookie Kerryon Johnson) for the future who broke the vaunted 100-yard curse at Ford Field, the Lions have potential cap space to explore. They could release Lang with an injury settlement or cut him outright to save close to $8 million.

A rare plus on the polarizing Darrell Bevell hire to replace Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator: consider what Bevell did with Seattle’s run game given their front office’s failures in drafting and building offensive lines during his tenure.

Top Three Options:

While general manager Bob Quinn has his scouts doing deep dives on all the EDGE talent available, there is a single delineating factor of how we mocked this pick: the talent and depth available at EDGE vs the talent and depth available at linebacker. If LSU standout Devin White is available at eighth overall, we can’t imagine him falling past the Lions at eighth overall.

Lions fans may want for a pure pass rusher here but another season of watching abysmal tackling and underwhelming personnel could be unwatchable. 2017 first rounder Jarrad Davis continues to progress well but ranking second in the league in rush plays allowed over 40 yards (5) is debilitating to a defense. If the Lions allow Davis to play more in space on the edges it could lead to an improvement on he and fellow linebacker Devon Kennard’s 12 combined sacks from the position.

Odds are Ziggy Ansah is gone and the franchise tag isn’t keeping him in Detroit this offseason. Outside linebacker Eli Harold was an underrated 24th hour acquisition and has expressed his re-commitment to football after spending a year in Motown. Former Matt Patricia protege, Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers, is among an enticing free agent pass rusher cohort that could include Demarcus Lawrence, Dee Ford, Jadeveon Clowney, and Frank Clark.

2018 Butkus Award Winner 🏆

First player from LSU to ever win the award, given to the top linebacker in the country 💯

Bruce Allen and Doug Williams have done admirably building up their trenches with an amazing, albeit decimated, offensive line, mirrored by a young and nasty defensive line. Through nearly half the 2018 season the Redskins were a contender behind Alex Smith, AP, and those two lines. Hell, even D.J. Swearinger was emerging as a leader way back then.

Operating under the assumption that Alex Smith won’t be back and Derrius Guice will be questionable at best, the Redskins enter the offseason with solid pieces but too many questions.

Top Three Options:

Joe Flacco? No thanks. It may be a fit for Flacco to stay in the Maryland era, but if Mike Glennon can get $18.5 guaranteed at some point in recent history, Flacco’s initial price tag would be laughable for a team that’s severely tied into Alex Smith for the next two to three seasons. Smith’s dead cap if cut after each remaining season on his contract: 2019: $42mil, 2020:$16.2mil, 2021: $10.8mil, 2022: $5.4mil.

If the Redskins fall for a non-Haskins quarterback, they should have the capital to move up and get their guy. It’s never too early to find your franchise quarterback, especially with LT Trent Williams and G Brandon Scherff in tow.

John Elway enters the offseason on a warm seat – though it is hard to imagine Coloradans (googled it) cranking the temperature up to hot for their hero. Delivering two conference championships and a super bowl win to remember is a fine front office resume for the greatest player in franchise history.

Denver is better served moving past the Vance Joseph era than reflecting upon it. Whether the same can be said for the Case Keenum era, only time will tell. Elway should consider diving deep into both the 2019 and 2020 quarterback classes and exploring what potential starters could be available.

Top Three Options:

As a lead in to the 2018 draft, the Denver Post analyzed every draft pick made during John Elway’s tenure at the helm. With 11 defensive backs selected, the most of any position, since he took over the GM role in January 2011, the only relevant cornerback left with the team is Bradley Roby and safeties Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Yet if we asked for the same analysis of defensive backs that Elway acquired through free agency, the narrative flips. Chris Harris Jr. (UDFA), Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and Darian Stewart come to mind. These are names synonymous with one of the most legendary defenses in NFL history, culminating in redemption in Super Bowl L.

Meanwhile, Greedy Williams starts the draft process ahead of his peers, projecting as high as a top-five pick to the 49ers at second overall. Elway still has an elite pass rush with Bradley Chubb and Von Miller leading the charge, but providing an aging and injured Chris Harris Jr. and the struggling Bradley Roby help may go a long way in turning around the Broncos fortune.

With Patrick Mahomes looking like the future of the NFL, a pass rush may no longer be enough to contain an elite quarterback. Teams need sideline to sideline speed from linebackers to contain mobile signal callers as well as speedy and lanky corners with endurance who can guard the deep ball once the pocket collapses and improvisation occurs. The Broncos fill a glaring need by taking advantage of LSU cornerback Greedy William’s slight fall.

There’s a growing “Josh Allen or Bust” narrative growing among the top ten picks and rightfully so. In this scenario, the Jets don’t buy into it and elect to recoup and exceed what they gave up in the 2018 draft to swap picks with the Colts and draft Sam Darnold.

The Jets are a strong candidate to move up into the latter part of Round 1 or on Day 2 given the draft capital they would acquire in a trade for a quarterback-needy team. Anything from a wide receiver to pair with or replace Robby Anderson to another offensive lineman or EDGE rusher. With $89 million in cap space and Darnold a season into five years of respectably priced team control, the Jets time is now to act and secure talent to help their franchise quarterback grow.

Top Three Options:

In his first offseason as boss in South Beach, Adam Gase oversaw the selection of Laremy Tunsil as the first first-rounder of his head coaching career. He also oversaw the Charles Harris selection and a questionable pass rush over his three-year tenure in South Beach. Miami’s pass rush steadily declined under Gase’s regime, finishing 19th, 26th, and finally 29th in total sacks. We think it’s in Gase’s meth-laced DNA and he once again starts off a new tenure by taking an offensive tackle to beef up protection for Sam Darnold and aid the run game.

BIG reason Jonah Williams is going to be the 1st tackle taken. Body control & RECOVERY. Not many guys can get out of this bind vs an elite defender. These two had a heck of a battle Monday night. This is insane to be able to sit back down on this. pic.twitter.com/LJTpG8wAYM

Packers fans: we won’t mock Deionte Thompson to you again unless it becomes an actual factual narrative or pundits claim insider information. Ha-Ha was traded. He gone. Yes, Deionte Thompson played safety at Alabama. But no, he’s not nearly as good as Ha-Ha, a fact on full display throughout the National Title game.

Top Three Options:

It was a heartbreaking season all around for Green Bay, starting with Jordy Nelson’s release last offseason. Almost one year later, the faces continue to become less and less familiar around 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

Along with the faces, the Packer’s ideology is beginning to be shaped by the modern trends of today’s NFL. The best way for cheeseheads to move forward would be a selection from the multitude of EDGE and pass-rushing ends.

A two-time national champion and a rumored top ten pick if he had entered the 2018 draft, Clemson pass rusher Clellin Ferrell claims the early “Derwin James Draft Slide” award by falling to the Packers at 12th overall. Keep in mind the Packers also have the 30th overall pick via the Saints (2018 Marcus Davenport draft day deal) in a draft with many options at pass rush and mid-tier offensive line depth.

Power by Clelin Ferrell with the counter bull. Finesse by Christian Wilkins with the club/arm over. End result, a QB on the ground! #ALLINpic.twitter.com/Aba5Ujc0Uk

Nick Foles proved one universal thing to us this season: when he’s motivated, he plays. When he plays, he wins. At times in Los Angeles, Foles looked lost. Maybe it was the shock of being traded coming off a historic season under Chip Kelly or Jeff Fisher doing sketchy Jeff Fisher things (YOU’RE A F****** MURDERER, JEFF! YOU’VE MURDERED CAREERS). What we know is that blaming Foles’ brief respite from relevance solely on him in the face of back to back seasons under Chip Kelly then Jeff Fisher is absurd.

The Eagles owner, front office, and coaching staff provided a universal truth this season: the pocket and the franchise belong to Carson Wentz. Debating this should be considered weak given Wentz was coming off an ACL tear. You saw the stark improvement from Deshaun Watson as the season progressed. Wentz was a little over a month off Watson’s timeline with higher severity of injury. If his back is not a long term concern, a healthy Carson Wentz with Doug Pederson is kelly green MONEY.

Top Three Options:

Jawaan Taylor, T, Florida

Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan

Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

Nothing mattered more to Foles’ success in 2019 then the play of the offensive line after he took over. The obvious hope is C Jason Kelce is back, but Jason Peters is deep into a fifteen-year career with multiple serious lower body injuries. Entering his age 37 season, a Peters replacement and/or depth would be ideal. Pairing Jawaan Taylor with possibly the best right guard (Brandon Brooks) and right tackle (Lane Johnson) combo in the league would allow the Eagles to continue doing what they do best.

Dominating defensive lines and beating you with their physicality and athleticism.

Top Three Options:

Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan

Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida

Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary is the early front runner for “most polarizing non-quarterback” in the 2019 draft. As cliche as it may be, we are stuck questioning whether Gary’s disappointing tenure in Ann Arbor was due to lack of motivation that was on display in the form of his lack of elite motor and consistent effort. The former number one recruit in the nation has the brand name recognition that must be considered against a good but unfulfilling on-field resume while at Michigan.

That won’t be an acceptable narrative to a fan base wondering why Vic Beasley Jr. has ghosted them since the Falcon’s super bowl season. Add in 2017 first round pick Takk McKinley’s difficult offseason and it becomes fair to question if the Falcon’s will have any pass rush.

We realize the woes of the Falcon’s run defense are also relevant, but the return of Deion Jones after missing the majority of the season highlighted a strong finish. Keanu Neal continues to recover from his own ACL injury, another key piece the Falcons hope to get back at 100 pecent in 2019.

The brightest light in Atlanta’s 2018 season was the play of DT Grady Jarret. The Falcons would be wise not let him walk after a remarkable contract year season. FSU EDGE Jachai Polite looks as if he will be the initial early riser during mock draft season, but the Falcons go with a blue chip prospect that Dan Quinn believes he can motivate into achieving his highest potential.

15.) Buffalo Bills (via WAS): Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma

The Bills are in a fantastic spot if three or more quarterbacks rise to the top of the class. In the event the QB market doesn’t inspire, they could field interest from teams who fall for a particular pass rusher or offensive skill player. If an elite talent somehow falls (DT Ed Oliver) or they target a wide receiver or tight end, we could see them pull the trigger at ninth overall.

It hasn’t been easy to draw offensive skill players to upstate New York through free agency. General manager Brandon Beane and his predecessors utilized draft capital in drafting Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, while engineering trades for Lesean Mccoy and Kelvin Benjamin.

Beane showed his aggressive streak last season in moving up for quarterback Josh Allen. Allen was at last “interesting” when healthy last season, stacking one hundred yard rushing games and squeezing out victories in a manner that Sean McDermott’s mentor Jim Johnson would assuredly have approved of.

Top Three Options:

Plugging and playing defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons in the gigantic hole left by Kyle Williams’ retirement is an option if Beane and McDermott look past his early college troubles. They did not flinch when Josh Allen was twitter-smacked on draft day last season.

The Bills move down to 14th overall would be focused and calculated, allowing for them to snag an additional lineman, pass rush, or offensive skill player in a loaded second round. In addition to this hypothetical trade down, the Bills already have the Chiefs 2019 fourth rounder, the Raiders 2019 fifth rounder, and a 2019 seventh rounder from the Panthers. These picks can be used to move back up on Day 2 when paired with same round pick. The Bills have options.

Despite the increasing presence of college style offenses, the Bills need to allow for Josh Allen to actually have a pocket before he can better his pocket passing. The Bills offensive line was rated as Football Outsider’s 23rd pass protection DVOA and 30th ranked run blocking DVOA. Four of those games were against divisional foes Miami and New England who ranked 29th and 30th in total team sacks across the 2018 NFL season. Lesean Mccoy, despite a multitude of injuries, rarely saw running lanes despite showing similar cut and speed to the last season.

Kyle Williams’ replacement will have to wait till at least until later in round 2. Williams himself was a fifth round pick in 2006 (134th overall). Beane and McDermott stay on the trenches, but this time protect their franchise quarterback.

Top Three Options:

Florida state pass rusher Jachai Polite spent this college football season making NFL plays on Saturdays. Polite’s speed off the corner teams well with his agility navigating through offensive lineman. He plays like lightning caught in a bottle; he’s quick in every movement and always seems to be around the play. He has real explosiveness off the snap that should make him an impact player from day one.

It’s back to basics for Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers as they wait to see how Cam heals.

About Samir Qurashi

Samir Qurashi is from the Bay. He thinks football is a good time. You can get at him with any fantasy football questions on the tweeter: @FSPsamir and by electronica: ssq.FSP@gmail.com. He remains unspooked.